World in Brief

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- An insurgent ambush killed six soldiers Tuesday in eastern Ukraine as Germany moved to jumpstart a possible plan toward peace that includes launching a dialogue on decentralizing the government in Kiev.

Ukraine’s leadership appeared cool to the plan and U.S. officials view its prospects for success skeptically. But some analysts say Russian President Vladimir Putin is more likely to accept a deal that doesn’t come from Washington

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is in Ukraine to try to broker a quick launch of talks between the central government and pro-Russia separatists. That would be a first step in implementing a "road map" drawn up by the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe aimed at settling the crisis.

The OSCE is a trans-Atlantic security and rights group that includes Russia and the U.S., whose sparring over each other’s role in Ukraine sometimes overshadows events on the ground.

Speaking in Brussels, acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk thanked the OSCE for its plan but said Ukraine has drawn up its own "road map" for ending the crisis and noted the people of his country should settle the issue themselves.

Nigeria: Options open to free kidnapped girls as U.S. begins surveillance flights

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) -- U.S.

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reconnaissance aircraft flew over Nigeria in search of the nearly 300 kidnapped schoolgirls Tuesday, a day after the Boko Haram militant group released the first evidence that at least some of them are still alive and demanded that jailed fighters be swapped for their freedom.

A Nigerian government official said "all options" were open -- including negotiations or a possible military operation with foreign help -- in the effort to free the girls, who were shown fearful and huddled together dressed in gray Islamic veils as they sang Quranic verses under the guns of their captors in a video released Monday.

The footage was verified as authentic by Nigerian authorities, who said 54 of the girls had been identified by relatives, teachers and classmates who watched the video late Tuesday.

The abduction has spurred a global movement to secure the girls’ release amid fears they would be sold into slavery, married off to fighters or worse following a series of threats by Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

Protesters marched through the streets of the capital, Abuja, Tuesday to demand more government action to find and free the girls, who are believed to be held in the vast Sambisi forest some 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the eastern town of Chibok, where they were seized from their school on April 15.

FBI: 100s have contacted us on pedophile teacher

Hundreds of people have contacted the FBI about a teacher suspected of drugging and molesting boys during a four-decade career at international schools on four continents, greatly expanding the potential number of suspected victims.

The FBI said last month that William Vahey had molested at least 90 boys, whose photos were found on a memory drive stolen by his maid. The bureau said Tuesday that it has now "been contacted by several hundred individuals from around the globe wishing either to reach out as potential victims or provide information in the ongoing investigation."

Special Agent Shauna Dunlap said officials wanted as many people as possible to call or contact the FBI through its website in order to receive counseling and provide information about a man who the bureau calls one of the most prolific pedophiles in memory.

Vahey killed himself at age 64 after evidence of molestation was found on a memory drive stolen by a maid in Nicaragua.

He was one of the most beloved teachers in the world of international schools that serve the children of diplomats, well-off Americans and local elites. The discovery of his molestation has set off a crisis in the community of international schools, where parents are being told their children may have been victims, and administrators are scurrying to close loopholes exposed by Vahey’s abuses.

European court: People can ask Google to remove personal info from search results

AMSTERDAM (AP) -- Google and other search engines were thrust into an unwanted new role Tuesday -- caretaker of people’s reputations -- when Europe’s highest court ruled that individuals should have some say over what information comes up when their names are Googled.

The landmark ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union will force search engines to decide when to censor computer users’ search results across the 28-nation bloc of over 500 million people.

The court decision -- which cannot be appealed -- was celebrated by some as a victory for privacy rights in the Internet age. Others warned it could lead to online censorship.

The ruling applies to EU citizens and all search engines in Europe, including Yahoo and Microsoft’s Bing.

It has no immediate impact on the way Google and other search engines display their results in the U.S. or other countries outside Europe.

West Virginia coal mine where 2 miners were killed had a history of safety problems

WHARTON, W.Va. (AP) -- Two miners who were killed on the job Monday night worked in a coalfield that had so many safety problems federal officials deemed it a "pattern violator," a rare designation reserved for the industry’s worst offenders.

Brody Mine No. 1 was one of only three mines last year to earn the label that regulators have put greater emphasis on since the 2010 Upper Big Branch explosion killed 29 miners about 10 miles away.

The designation subjects the mine to greater scrutiny from regulators, and it’s the strongest tool the Mine Safety and Health Administration has, said Kevin Stricklin, the agency’s administrator of coal mine safety and health.

"We just do not have the ability or authority to shut a mine just because it has so many violations," Stricklin told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Brody No. 1 is owned by a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Patriot Coal, which in its annual report last December blamed the problems on a previous owner and said it was "vigorously contesting" the designation.

Baltimore County executive: Suspect in TV station crash taken into custody; no injuries

TOWSON, Md. (AP) -- A man claiming to be God rammed a truck through the front of a Baltimore-area television station Tuesday, leaving a gaping hole as reporters and other staff fled the building.

Police took a suspect into custody Tuesday afternoon, about five hours after the incident, officials said at a news conference. The suspect was not injured but has been taken for mental health treatment, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said.

"It’s very clear the subject is suffering from emotional or mental health issues," Police Chief James Johnson said. The man’s identity was not immediately disclosed.

Michael Marion was in his office off WMAR-TV’s lobby when he heard someone rattling violently against the security door about 11:45 a.m. The man demanded to be let in, claiming "I am God, I am God," Marion said.

"I heard a series of crashes," Marion said. "The next thing, I looked in the lobby, and the only thing between truck and the lobby was the final door. I heard one final crash. I looked through the door, and by then the truck was pulling in the lobby."

70 dead, many miners still trapped after explosion and fire at Turkish coal mine

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- An explosion and a fire Tuesday killed some 70 workers at a coal mine in western Turkey and trapped several others underground, the country’s disaster agency said as it launched a massive rescue operation.

It was not immediately clear how many more miners were still trapped in the coal mine in the town of Soma, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Istanbul.

Authorities say the disaster followed an explosion and fire caused by a power distribution center.

A government official told The Associated Press that the death toll was expected to rise further.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said the situation was "worrisome" and rescue efforts would last until the morning.

Sterling seeks forgiveness but creates new controversy with remarks on Magic Johnson, HIV

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An interview that was supposed to be an attempt at rehabilitation instead had Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling facing fresh rebukes as he went from apologizing for recent racist remarks to slamming Magic Johnson, repeatedly bringing up the ex-NBA star’s HIV status and calling him an unfit role model for children.

"He’s got AIDS!" Sterling said loudly at one point in the interview, cutting off CNN’s Anderson Cooper as the interviewer attempted to cite Johnson’s accomplishments after Sterling asked, "What has he done, big Magic Johnson, what has he done?"

Johnson, who is appearing on Cooper’s show to reply on Tuesday, wrote on his Twitter account that "I’d rather be talking about these great NBA Playoffs than Donald Sterling’s interview."

In an early excerpt from Johnson’s interview posted on CNN’s website, the former Lakers star said Sterling is "upset."

"He’s reaching," Johnson said. "He’s trying to find something that he can grab on to help him save his team. And it’s not going to happen. ... I’m a God-fearing man and I’m going to pray for him and hope things work out for him."

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